Burning Flames
by x'KatieLouise'x
Summary: She moved to Chicago to get away from her past and a new relationship was the last thing she wanted or expected. And yet that is exactly what she got. How can you run from your past when that past gets brought into your future? Follow Ria and Kelly as they try to build a relationship together, work together and mend together. Rated T for mild swearing and mild sexual situations R&R
1. Chapter 1

**This is the first thing I've uploaded on here in a while as writing has been pushed to the back of my mind. But I thought it was time to try to get back into it and I love Chicago Fire so I figured that it would be a good way to get back into it. There also doesn't appear to be many Severide/ OC stories out there and I'm a little bit obsessed with him but never happy with who they pair him with in the show. Anyway, I'm rambling. So here's my new story attempt. Don't forget to review please (:**

 **Burning Flames**

 **Chapter One- The new girl**

"You can do this...you can do this." She would appear mad to anyone who walked past her right now but she didn't really care. She felt the need to repeat the mantra to herself over and over, genuinely believing that it would help her. She hated first days, nothing good ever came of a first day.

"You got this." The voice of another female caused the girl to jump and turn to the person the voice belonged to. "You're the new EMT right? I'm Gabriella." Gabriella held a hand out and the girl bashfully shook it.

"Alexandria...Ria...sorry about that," Ria flushed a light crimson. "First days make me nervous."

"Then you've come to the right house," Gabriella's smile calmed Ria a little.

"Thanks," she smiled, showing her white teeth and dimples. "I'll follow you then." Gabriella nodded towards the entrance door and the two women fell into step with one another.

"Have you worked a firehouse before?" The petite brunette asked as she pulled the door open.

"Yeah but not in a big city like this, I'm new to Chicago too." She added seeing Gabriella's questioning eyes.

"I have a feeling you'll fit right in." Ria smiled again. "Okay, you want to head down this corridor and the chief's office is the door at the end." Ria nodded her thanks and gave a small wave as she walked in the direction she was pointed in.

Taking a deep breath she knocked on the glass door at the end. "You got this."

Lieutenant Kelly Severide sat at the top of the break room table, absentmindedly listening to all the conversations going on around him and answering questions whenever anything was aimed at him. He loved his job; literally everything and anything that came with it, he loved; well except those occasions where things didn't go to plan. But he knew that no matter what happened in those occasions, he'd done everything he could. His job made him happy, and he wasn't afraid to admit that that was also due to the family he had gained at firehouse 51.

"Beers at Molly's later everyone?" Severide turned at the sound of Christopher Hermann's voice. He smiled and nodded along with everyone else.

"Okay, everyone listen up!" The voices that echoed the room soon died down as everyone turned to Chief Bowden. "Thank you, this is Alexandria Smith, she's joining our house as our new Paramedic in Charge." Bowden moved aside and the newest member of firehouse 51 came into Severide's view. She was slightly taller than Gabi but shorter than Shay he mused. Her hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, the hair brown at her scalp but a vibrant bleach blonde on the ends, she had that perfect hourglass figure that women seem to aspire for and her eyes were a glowing green. The beautiful woman standing in front of everyone blushed a light red and Severide found the sight very appealing.

"Please, call me Ria," her voice sounded like velvet and she pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear, showing a small tattoo on her left wrist. Everyone started towards her, saying their hellos and welcomes. Severide remained in his seat, feeling slightly uneasy at the bubbling feeling in his stomach.

"Kelly, come say hi!" Leslie Shay, a fellow paramedic at the house called out to him. "Don't be so rude," she nudged him playfully as he reached the two women that were now stood alone in the corner of the room. "Ria this is Kelly Severide, squad lieutenant, my best friend and roommate." Kelly nodded and said a hushed 'hello'.

"Nice to meet you lieutenant." Dimples appeared on her cheeks as she smiled, causing Kelly to smile.

"You too."

She liked what she saw; and that was never a good thing. What was that age old saying? "Don't mix business with pleasure." But right now, those annoying butterflies had decided that that was a good idea. She swore to herself at the fluttering that had started in her stomach as soon as she'd seen his dimpled grin with the small gap in his front teeth. She hadn't even been in the job for five minutes and she was already thinking about an in house romance.

"Oh shut up," she mumbled to herself. How can you suddenly jump to getting into a relationship with somebody after only sharing two words with them?

"Excuse me?" The slim blonde sat next to her quickly glanced in her direction.

"Oh..." Ria blushed a deep crimson. "Not you..." She inwardly scolded herself for speaking out loud.

Shay laughed focusing on the route back to the firehouse. They'd just been called out to Ria's first job of the day and she was relieved that it wasn't a complicated case. "Nice to know my new partner seems just as crazy as I am." Shay laughed again, indicating a left as she turned into the firehouse car park.

Ria laughed realising working with Shay seemed like it could be a good thing. "Nice to know the same." She grinned as the ambo pulled to a stop in its space. Both women grabbed their bags and headed back towards the break room.

"Hey! How was the first one?" One of the older fire fighters, Chris Hermann if Ria remembered his name correctly, called across the room.

"Piece of cake," Shay answered him. "Just a broken arm, typical skater kid falling off." Ria noticed the men around the room seemed to start nodding their heads lightly. Were such calls common in Chicago? "Kid took a bit of a shine to our Ria here though."

Ria blushed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "He did not." She shook her head at Shay's comment, inwardly beaming with pride that she had called her 'our Ria'. Maybe she'd easily fit into this family after all.

"What? He did!" Shay laughed as she swung an arm around her new partner. "Can't say I blame him." She winked and Ria's red cheeks glowed brighter. "Can you not take a compliment without blushing?"

"Leave her alone Shay." Ria's eyes widened slightly at the fact that it was lieutenant Severide that had spoken and once more, those butterflies started squirming in her stomach.

"Here's to Ria! Welcome to your new family!" Ria grinned as she tapped her beer bottle against Shay's and Gabriella's. Halfway through her first shift the other two women of the firehouse had invited her to the bar owned by Gabi, Hermann and another fire fighter they called Otis. She accepted quickly wanting to get to know her new colleagues sooner rather than later.

"So this is the local watering hole?" She asked, glancing around the crowded bar. She admired the sparkling fairy lights that hung from the ceiling and the classic feel of the place.

Gabi nodded a smile that clearly showed pride. "Yeah, a lot of fire fighters and CPD come along after shifts." Ria glanced around again, focusing on the group of women at the other end of the bar. Each one appeared to be dressed to impress in a different coloured short dress, sky scraper heels were on their feet and the giggling that was coming from each of them showcased how many 'cosmopolitans' they had already drank. Gabi turned her attention to them too. "They're here each and every weekend, always looking to hook up with a fire fighter or policeman. I've got to hand it to them though; they're really nice, if very flirty."

Ria nodded, taking another sip of her beer. "I can't remember the last time I properly dressed up and went on a night out." She laughed at the shocked looks on her new friends faces. "What? I don't have many 'gal pals'," she air quoted. "Whenever I go out for drinks it's like this, to a nice bar in my jeans and boots."

"Then we have to plan a proper girls night!" Shay exclaimed. Gabriella nodding agreement, she opened her mouth to reply only to be cut off by Shay. "Kelly! Guys!" Ria turned to look in the direction of where Shay was calling to. She watched as a few members of Squad 3 started walking towards them.

"Hey new girl!" A tall, bald man said hugging Ria after hugging the other girls.

"Hey squad guy!" She responded a smile on her face. She was surprised at how much she was enjoying herself. Relaxing for the first time since she had arrived in Chicago; she genuinely believed that she was going to like it here.

"So why Chicago Ria?" The bald man, Capp, asked after everyone had their second rounds.

Ria gulped, taking a long gulp of her beer as she tried to find something to say. "I uh, just needed a new start." She nodded, and turned away, taking another sip of her beer.

"But why?" Capp queried, clearly not sensing the awkwardness that was suddenly in the air.

"Capp, she just told you so move on yeah?" Ria glanced up at the man in front of her, surprised but grateful that it was Kelly that had 'saved' her. He smiled at her, as if he understood her hesitation. Those butterflies were never going to stop now.

Kelly didn't even glance in her direction again for the remainder of the evening which she wasn't too fazed about. Why would he? That didn't stop her green eyes from glancing to him more often than not. There was something about him she just couldn't put her finger on. He seemed to have a calming effect that emanated from him, something that everyone in the small group seemed to feel. He was different to any other man she had ever come across, he gave off this 'big man' persona but with the way he was with Shay and even Gabi at certain times, he was soft... gentle even, and just caring. She wondered if the others could sense the fact she was paying him more attention than anyone else. But she couldn't help it. There was a magnetic force that seemed to pull her to him and that scared her a little, considering she'd only spent one shift with this man. And it was that pull that led her to follow him towards the bar. She leaned over, indicating for a beer for herself.

She took a deep breath and turned towards him. "Thanks," he looked at her with a cocked eyebrow in confusion. "For getting Capp to move on." He smiled out of the corner of his mouth as he handed over his money.

"No problem, I could tell you weren't comfortable with the question." She frowned and bit her lip, a nervous habit of hers. "Don't worry about it. We're complete strangers to you right now, why would you want to share your back story?" He smiled at her, his green blue eyes sparkling.

"Well thank you." She smiled at him. "So what's my tell?" she asked playfully. It was probably the alcohol that was spreading around her system but she wanted more time alone with this man, time that she could possibly spend flirting with him...maybe.

"Your tell?" he laughed lightly, leaning his forearm on the bar next to him causing his body to be fully facing her. She was glad he didn't appear to want to head back to their friends.

"Yeah like poker, like, the tell that told you I didn't want to answer him." Realisation over what she meant covered his face.

"You looked away, eye contact's important...you're doing very well at that right now by the way," she bit her lip to stop the ear splitting grin that wanted to escape as he winked teasingly. "Took a very long glug of your beer...and..." She noticed his eyes looked down as his body language suddenly changed. He reached forward and grabbed her wrist. "You started snapping that band against your wrist." Her breath hitched in her throat as he pulled the black elastic band over her hand, showcasing the now red raw and bruised skin of her wrist. Pulse racing she swallowed slowly, no one had ever noticed her stupid habit and yet this near stranger did so after one time of her doing it. Her green eyes met his own and her breath hitched again, but this time it wasn't because he'd caught her doing something she was ashamed of, instead it was because his face was now a mere inch away from her own and his hand was still clasped around her right wrist, his fingers brushing her bruised skin lightly.

Gulping she moved back and instantly missed his touch as he seem to reluctantly let go of her. "I uh..." Her heartbeat increased and she could feel the colour rising in her cheeks. Biting her lip she forced herself to not immediately start snapping the band again. She looked away from him.

"Hey," his hand was suddenly on her cheek, causing her to glance back at him again. "It's okay," she frowned, her eyebrows creasing together questioning him. "Whatever you've been through..." Her eyes widened, she'd been caught out already... "That's your business but just so you know...you're safe here, you're with family."

She nodded confusion etched all over her face. She couldn't believe how all this had happened. After one week in Chicago...one shift at the firehouse, someone had already worked out her secret. And that someone still had his hand on her cheek, his eyes were still staring straight through her and suddenly she felt those butterflies stop their fluttering and her breathing evened. She suddenly realised that how long she had known him didn't matter, it was how long she would end up knowing him...that was what truly mattered.

So perhaps, good things do happen on first days after all.

 **So that's my introductory chapter. I'm not entirely pleased with how the ending went so if you could let me know your thoughts that would be very appreciated.**

 **So yeah (:**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to those that reviewed! That means so much to me.**

 **On with the story!**

 **Italics= flashbacks**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot, Ria and any other OC characters that might pop up.**

 **Burning Flames**

 **Chapter 2: Moving Fast**

He didn't know how long he'd been staring at the ceiling but he couldn't do anything else to distract himself from the young woman lying next to him. Clasping his head in his hands he glanced down as movement caused the covers to slide even further down his waist. He sighed in aggravation at himself for being so stupid. Why did he take her home that night? What made her go with him so willingly? He watched her as she moved again, the covers being pulled to the left as she moved one leg up to a right angled degree. Frowning he found that he couldn't take his eyes off the bare back that was fully on view to him, his eyes skimmed the curvature of her spine before landing on her left hip; through the moonlight shining into his room he couldn't take his eyes off two glistening white scars that seemed to stretch down to her thigh. His breath hitched when he wondered what had happened to cause such a scarring. She moved again, this time turning her head towards him; he watched her face this time, just as her green eyes began fluttering open.

"Hey," her hoarse voice whispered into the silence. He smiled, his hand unconsciously stroking her hair from her face.

"Hey," he gulped unsure of what more he should say to her. She laughed sensing his hesitation.

"It's okay Kelly," she pulled the sheet up to her shoulders before placing her forearm on her pillows and placing her head in her hand. He inwardly questioned her. How could it be okay? They'd only known each other a few months. Sure they hung out most nights, but they were with Shay and Gabriella too, so he was just the fourth wheel right? But she'd just looked so...amazing that night, the way her hair fell down her back in those beachy waves, the tight fit of her short black dress and those red platform shoes that made her already long legs appear even longer. As soon as she walked into the bar he couldn't take his eyes off of her...

" _Kelly? Another beer?" Kelly nodded his head at his closest friend Matt Casey. "Quite a shift eh?" Matt was a fellow lieutenant at firehouse 51._

" _Aren't they all these days?" Kelly sighed as he thought back on the shifts very difficult save today. Matt gently patted Kelly on the back._

" _That they are man." The two men held their beers out and clinked them together, silently thanking the other for their help through the day. "The girls are here," Matt nodded towards the door as he took a sip of his beer._

 _Kelly waved as he saw Shay walk towards him first, followed closely by Gabriella but it was the woman that followed them that really caught his attention. He'd never seen her in anything other than jeans and her EMT uniform. Her hair was loose around her face, the soft bleached waves dramatically contrasting with the skin tight black dress that clung to her womanly frame and on her feet sat the most dangerously high platform shoes he had ever seen. His eyes were glued to her, even when she had reached the group he couldn't turn his eyes away; nor could he stop the bubbling feeling that was rushing through him._

" _Kelly, quit staring!" Shay's slap on the back of his head shook him from his daze. He blushed lightly and smiled at Ria's glowing face._

" _You look good," he murmured, standing from the stool on which he sat and indicating to her to hop up onto it instead. Her red lips stretched into a smile as she gratefully sat down; placing the black clutch bag she carried on the bar in front of her._

" _Thanks," her black eye lined eyes were trained on him, the green hues darkening as she too, took a moment to skim over the man in front of her. Kelly inwardly swore at Shay as she pulled Ria's attention away from him. He stood awkwardly at Ria's side as she became engrossed in a conversation with the others in the group. As he listened to their conversation he took the time to glance over her again, his breathing hitching in his throat as she crossed her left leg over her right causing the already short dress to rise to dangerous heights. He took a step closer, her shoulder a mere inch away from him, and leaned down to whisper in her ear._

" _Can I get you drink?" His question made her jump slightly and a flush rose from her chest as she realised just how close to her he was. A smirk covered his face as he took notice of the sudden change in her breathing._

" _Sure," she smiled causing him to grin back at her._

Thinking back on the night, he was sure it was that smile that caused him to want to take her back to his place that night. That smile never seemed to fade throughout the entire evening at Molly's and neither did his. They talked to each other all night, occasionally responding to any of the others with them but mainly, they focused on each other. And even when she'd come back from the ladies room with Shay and Dawson she didn't sit down on the stool, instead she stood between it and him, their bodies so dangerously close to one another's he could feel the heat emanating from her.

"Don't you think this was too fast?" He questioned, unable to hold it in anymore. A light smile covered her face.

"Are you regretting it?" Her eyes glanced away from his and he felt guilty for making her think that.

"Not at all. I just wondered whether you would." The laugh that came from her shocked and confused him.

"Kelly, I don't do anything I don't want to do," he smiled a small smile. "Besides, look at you." He was the one that laughed this time.

"So, you're not regretting it?" She shook her head and bit her lip leaning forward towards him.

"Nope." She popped the 'p' and placed her lips against his in a sweet kiss. "And it's not too fast, we've known each other three months, we're both consenting adults and..." She bit her lip again and sighed, her eyes glancing down as she took a deep breath. "I like you Kelly."

Ria had always been reserved; even her closest friends from back home didn't know everything about her. But in Chicago, she seemed different, she'd told Shay and Gabi a lot of things without even realising she was saying it. Of course, there were some things she couldn't even unconsciously say.

And then there was Kelly.

A part of her worried about how quickly she was falling for him but then another part of her told her not to worry, that her job proved no one knew what would happen tomorrow. So she was embracing it...and him.

"Hey," she smiled as she leant against the fire engine he was sorting out equipment for. The smile he gave her in return caused those butterflies to start squirming again; something she was now used to. "Did you want to come over after shift?"

He stopped what he was doing and mimicked her stance, crossing his arms across his chest as he smirked down at her. "Depends, what's in it for me?"

"Ria in a naughty fire woman's outfit!" Kelly laughed as Shay called out from her position by the ambo. Ria flushed.

"I'd prefer a naughty nurse...just so you know," he caught her hand as it gently smacked him on the chest, lacing his fingers with her own.

"Kelly," she admonished the flush on her cheeks ever present. "Duly noted," she winked playfully causing a bellowing laugh to escape his lips. "I was thinking, pizza, beer, movie...maybe a bath," his eyes widened and his smirk quickly returned. "Then bed."

"And sex right?" She laughed at him this time. Leaning forward she pecked him lightly on the lips, ignoring the whooping from the fire fighters currently in their vicinity.

"Lots of sex," she whispered against his ear. Pulling away she smirked at him before heading across the lot to the ambo and Shay.

There was something about Chicago and Kelly that had changed her. She was never as flirty in public as she was with Kelly and she never would have kissed her boyfriend in front of those she worked with, especially if she and her boyfriend worked together in the first place. But Kelly made her feel free and she missed feeling that way. It had been a very long time since she felt that way.

"Ria!" Ria shook her head, knocking herself out of her daze. Shay laughed at her. "I asked you how you and Kelly were getting on?"

"Sorry. I'm surprised he hasn't spoken to you about it." She mentioned, grabbing the clipboard from Shay's hand and checking their supplies.

"Bits and bobs," Shay smirked as Ria rolled her eyes. "But I want to know about how you're feeling."

"Why? Has he said something?" Ria's eyebrow cocked accusingly. Shay put her hands up in mock surrender.

"Nothing much...is everything okay?" Shay questioned, slightly worried at Ria's defensiveness.

"Sorry, it's just..." she sighed, sitting in the back of the ambulance. She glanced towards where Kelly was laughing with Casey. "Are we moving too fast?" She turned to Shay with a shrug. "I'm not usually like this, all open and flirty. I'm usually so shy that I can't even talk to men." She paused collecting her thoughts, pleased to have a friend like Leslie. "We haven't even been on a proper date."

Shay smiled lightly. "Sounds to me like he's brought you out of your shell, and that's a good thing. As for moving too fast, no. You said yourself that you were both adults and so what you haven't been on a first date? Every time you're together you're technically on a date, the number doesn't matter." Ria smiled in gratitude. Shay was right; the number of dates they had or hadn't been on didn't matter. That didn't however; stop the nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach. Shay seemed to pick up on her uneasiness. "You can talk to me you know," Shay watched as Ria placed a hand to her side, rubbing up and down slightly on her hip. "Is this about your scars...?" Ria's eyes widened at her friend, her hand coming to a halt.

"Did Kelly say something to you?" Her voice held an accusatory bite.

"All he said was you had some scars but hadn't talked about how you got them...I mean, I saw them anyway, in the locker room..." Ria's eyes glazed over and she looked down. "Hey, you don't have to talk about it..." Shay wrapped a comforting arm around her.

"Thanks," was all Ria could murmur in response.

"I'm serious, if you want to talk about it; I'm here, Gabi's here and Kelly's here. We're all here for you, no matter. You're family." Ria genuinely smiled.

"You sound like Kelly."

"It's because he learned it from me."

"Hey you okay? You've been quiet all night." Kelly looked down at Ria who had her head rested gently on his shoulder, his arm around her as they watched a movie.

Ria nodded and closed her eyes, inhaling his scent. "Just tired." She mumbled, sliding lower in her seat.

"Want me to run that bath for you? I promise I won't try and share it with you." He nudged her playfully, pleased when a laugh escaped her lips. She turned to look up at him, her green eyes twinkling.

"That would be amazing." He nodded and removed her from his side. She sighed as she heard him start running the bath water. She couldn't pretend she wasn't falling fast for him anymore but she was afraid of what he might do if she told him. Making her way towards her bathroom she used the elastic band that was constantly on her wrist to tie her hair on top of her head. She smiled watching him mix the bubble bath with the water. "You're quite domesticated aren't you?"

Her rhetorical question made him laugh, the muscles on his back rolling with the movement. "I try." He turned around and sat on the edge of the bath, watching as she removed his hoodie. He sighed. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She frowned, the fingers on her left hand rubbing against her right wrist. He watched her intently, she was anxious about something. "I'm fine." She smiled falsely, starting to remove her minimal makeup.

"You're a terrible liar," her eyes narrowed at him. "Don't look at me like that."

"How would you know if I'm terrible liar, you've only known me five minutes?" She huffed walking away from him and back into her sitting room.

He immediately followed her. "Seriously? We're back there again?"

"Kelly..." she mumbled her fingers rubbing harder at her wrist again.

"I know you more than you realise." Her eyebrow rose. "I'm serious Ria. I don't know what this is really about but it sure as hell isn't about how long we've been together. I know you. I know that you've been anxious since you asked me over here tonight. And how do I know that? Because of this," he grabbed at her right wrist, turning her hand over so her palm was facing upwards. He motioned towards the newly red wrist that was already forming into a bruise. "The only time you snap that damn band against your wrist is when you're anxious and you haven't done that in a long while. So why now? Why today?" He let her wrist drop, his blue green eyes dimming in the light.

"Kelly..."

"You don't have to tell me everything yet Ria. Not once have I forced you into telling me anything from your past and I'm not asking you now but I don't want you to start pushing me away. I want you to hold on now like I am, because...I don't want to lose you..." She melted at his words. "You think that I don't know you but I do...I don't know old facts but I know you." She stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around his torso. They stood like that for a few minutes before Kelly pushed her back gently. "I need to check on your bath." He smiled at her before heading back to the bathroom. She padded after him and stood in the doorway as he turned the taps off. "I've leave you to it." He placed his lips to her forehead as he headed back to the couch.

Closing the door gently she sighed looking down at the red skin at her wrist. Closing her eyes in annoyance at herself she removed her clothes, placing them in the hamper under the sink. Her eyes focused on the two white scars at her hip as she lightly traced each line with her fingers. Shaking her head and looking away she climbed into the bath, settling down so the water and bubbles almost ran over the edge. She smiled rubbing some bubbles up her arm as she realised he'd run it in just the way she liked. He was right, he did know her. "Kelly!" she called gently.

"Everything okay?" he questioned, lightly tapping on the door.

"Can you come here?" she asked her voice soft. Slowly opening the door he peered into the room, she laughed and used her hand to indicate a 'come here' signal. "Come on!" She giggled as he playfully covered his eyes.

"What?" he questioned, removing his hand and smiling down at her.

"Come talk to me," she whispered, her head tilting to the side. He shrugged and sat down next to the bath, twisting so he could face, he rested his right arm on the bath edge. "I need to tell you something." He grabbed her hand as it lightly splashed in the water. "Shay told me you mentioned to her that I had some scars on my side," she bit her lip as he eyed her intently.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," he shook his head clearly ashamed. She shushed him.

"It's okay; I think if I saw that you had something like that I'd probably question it. But that's not what I want to talk to you about right now." He looked confused and she smiled, taking a deep breath she said the words that had been on her mind all day. "I'm afraid Kelly. I'm insecure, because of...well, because of things," He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "I'm afraid that I'm falling in love with you too quickly." She shrugged, her eyes glazed over. "Because I am, I'm falling in love with you and that's what's been making me anxious and crazy." She shrugged again as embarrassment covered her face.

"That's it?" He questioned laughing lightly. Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. Laughing again, he turned so he was resting on both of his knees, leaning across the tub. "I thought you'd gone off me or something." She shook her head as she bit her lip shyly. "I'm falling in love with you too y'know?" Her eyes widened as her face covered in a grin. Laughing he leant over her and kissed her. He pulled away and winked playfully at her, his eyes dancing from the end of the tub towards her. "So can I get in now?"

 **Chapter two all complete. I don't like jumping around so I figured I'd throw the relationship straight in there. Let me know what you think (:**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks once again for all the reviews/favourites and follows. It means so much (:**

 **Just so you know, this doesn't really follow the shows storyline, but newer characters might pop up as well as older. I may add in some of the storylines but considering the UK hasn't finished season 3 yet (no fair!) then that's very doubtful at this time.**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned Chicago Fire, Severide would probably never be wearing a shirt.**

 **Burning Flames**

 **Chapter 3- When the Past Comes to Light**

 _She was shaking; every inch of her was trembling to the core as the tears silently rolled down her red cheeks. Green eyes opened wide she looked to her quivering right hand, the shining bright red blood running down her palm. She swallowed, trying to control her breathing...in...out...in...out. Grabbing at the blanket on the couch next to her, she winced as she removed her right hand from her bleeding hip, pressing the blanket against it instead._

 _Her face scrunched as the pain increased, the blanket soon seeping through with her blood. Her mind was cloudy; for the life of her she couldn't think past putting pressure on the deep wounds, her paramedic training well and truly failing her now. Shock. She was in shock._

 _And the pain was gradually worsening._

 _Her lungs burned as her breaths became erratic again. She took a step forward in a vain attempt to reach the open apartment door but the pain in her side was too much as she fell onto the floor. It was there she noticed a puddle of blood that had formed around her. She was losing too much blood. How could two small gashes on her side cause such blood loss? She pulled the blanket away with a moan, her face screwing up in fear when she realised just how deep and long the cuts on her side were._

 _Not two little gashes then. Two giant slashes instead._

Shooting up into a seating position Ria tried to calm her breathing. She hadn't had a dream like that in a long while. She pulled her hair onto her shoulder, trying to cool down as the sweat dripped down her body and the scars on her hip caused a dull pain to wash over her.

"Hey, you alright?" she turned and looked down at Kelly. He was still lying on his back, the bed sheets collecting at his waist. His left hand reached forward, rubbing small, soothing circles into her back.

"Just a dream," she mumbled, turning from him and placing her chin on her knees.

"Quite the dream..." he mused a frown on his face. He didn't want to force her into talking to him, but it had now been months that they had been together and he was slowly losing patience at being held in the dark. "Ria..." She turned to him again, tears building in her eyes. "Come here," he opened his arms to embrace her as she curled up against him; her face burying into the nape of his neck. It was the first time he had seen her cry and he wasn't sure how to handle it; each of his previous girlfriends had all wanted different things when they had cried.

"Sorry," she mumbled, her breaths coming near normal now. She pulled away from him and wiped at her tear covered face. He smiled at her.

"There's no need to be sorry," he murmured as she laid back down, her head on his bare chest.

"Yes there is," she sighed, placing her left leg in between his own. "There's something we should talk about...my scars included."

"What do you say to another girl's night?" Dawson questioned as she took a bite of the quesadilla she had cooked everyone for lunch.

"Ooh count me in! Not that I remember much about our last one," Shay laughed. "Ria's ended on a particularly high note..." Ria blushed as her eyes glanced to where Kelly was eating with squad.

"Oh that it was," she flushed again at her own comment causing Dawson and Shay to guffaw lightly.

"Will there ever be a day you don't blush?" Shay asked, standing up to clean her plate away.

Ria turned slightly in her chair to shout "doubt it" in Shay's direction. The girl's all laughed again as Dawson began planning their next night out.

"Have you realised how noisy it is these days with these...giggling girls?" Hermann queried as a few members of truck looked down their long table at the girls sitting at the end.

"I would hardly say it was noisy," Casey spoke. "Besides, with Ria here, we have an extra person that can actually cook." The men at the table laughed just as the alarm bell started ringing.

"Ambulance 61, truck 81, squad 3, woman trapped in a building collapse..."

Severide jumped from his seat and gave a wink to Ria as they both made their way out of the break room and to their engines. He felt the adrenaline rush through him as he took his seat in the passenger side of the squad truck and placed his helmet on his head. "Remember to be on guard, work quickly but safely," he spoke to his men. Taking a deep breath he took in the situation as he jumped from the truck. The building appeared to look okay from the outside so there must have been a collapse on an inside frame. He followed Casey inside through a small side door and into the next room; it was there that they could hear the frantic cries from the woman trapped.

"Fire department! Call out!" Severide yelled as he used his flashlight to light his and Casey's way; the rest of the house following after them.

"Help! Please help me!" Following her voice they found her at the bottom of a small pit. Surrounded in rubble from what had clearly broken away from the floor. "I can't move my legs!" She cried out. Casey took a step forward and froze feeling an imbalance on the floor around them.

"Severide! Wait!" he called as Kelly made to lie on the floor to look into the pit. "It could cave any second." Casey said as he leant his weight forward, feeling and hearing the crumbling ground fall below. Severide glanced around, taking in the scene as quickly as possible.

"Please help!" The woman called again.

"Okay ma'am, I need you to remain calm and still. We're trying to find a way to get to you but for now try to calm down." Severide called, walking towards Capp and Tony and telling them what he needed. He nodded at Ria and Shay to come closer to talk to their victim.

"Hey sweetie," Ria called, lying on the ground that Casey indicated was safest. Ria took a deep breath as she felt the floor shift slightly under her weight. "I'm Ria; can you tell me your name?" Ria shined her flashlight down the hole, focusing on the woman without blinding her.

"Caroline," she spoke quietly.

"Well hey there Caroline," Ria knew that in such situations you needed to remain positive and upbeat to calm the victim. "I'm going to ask you a few questions on how you are whilst the men get to work okay?" She could just about make out Caroline nodding. "Okay good, can you tell me what hurts?"

"My legs and...my head," Caroline's voice was getting quieter.

"Did you bang your head?" Ria asked inching closer to the edge. She saw Caroline nod again before her head drooped forward. "Caroline? Caroline?! Victim unresponsive!" Ria called out, twisting slightly as both lieutenants stopped what they were doing to turn to her. "Someone needs to get down there!" Ria stood up, brushing the dust from her front. Both men eyed the pit, deep in thought.

"It's too small, we need to make the opening bigger," Severide murmured. Casey nodded.

"There's no time," Shay interrupted. "What if she's not breathing? What if she's unconscious? We need to get down there and assess her before you move her anyway."

"So you're saying to send one of you?" Severide laughed sarcastically before looking blankly at Casey's expression. "You're not serious? It's not safe!"

"What other choice do we have Severide?"

It took all of one minute to get her in a harness and down into the dark pit. She wouldn't admit it to anyone but she hated the dark...and small spaces. But she had to do her job. "Okay, I'm down." Ria called back up, turning in a tight circle to kneel next to the unresponsive Caroline. There was no way any of the men would have fit down here. "Caroline?" Ria checked for a pulse. "Breathing is weak but pulse is strong," she called up. "She's falling in and out of consciousness, pretty bad bump on the head..." she moved down to see the victims trapped legs. "One leg trapped under what I'm guessing is the grate she fell through, other leg just scraped a little bit. Caroline?" Caroline murmured incoherently. "Can you feel this?" Ria asked gently as she touched the leg that was trapped. Caroline nodded. "Okay good, how 'bout this one?" Caroline nodded again, her head falling against her shoulder again. "Throw down a neck brace!" She called, attaching the brace the next second. "Your call lieutenant." She sat back on her ankles.

"The only way we can do this as quickly as possible is to hoist her up on a backboard. Can you move the grate?" Ria turned her attention back to the rusting metal. Groaning she lifted the frame; using all her strength to push it aside. She immediately put a compress against Caroline's now bleeding leg. "Okay good, we're going to send the board down, tie her nice and tight." Ria did as she was told and tugged on the rope when it was ready. As she watched Caroline being lifted from her confinement, Ria smiled lightly to herself, proud of herself for what she had done.

"Nice save Smith," Hermann gently patted Ria on the back as they arrived back at 51.

"Yeah well done," Cruz smiled as he walked past. Ria flushed lightly unsure of how to respond. She was just doing her job; anyone else would have done the same.

The rest of the afternoon remained pretty quiet for the house so everyone was just sitting around waiting for that inevitable call. "So I hear you're having a girl's night?" Otis questioned whilst everyone was in the break room.

"Why? You interested in tagging?" Shay laughed stirring her coffee.

"What? No," Otis put his hands up. "It's just last time you all came to Molly's."

"And you came home with me," Kelly whispered into Ria's ear. Biting her lip as she smiled, she turned around in her chair and smirked at him.

"Who says I will this time?" Kelly pretended to look wounded before he leant forward to kiss her. Ignoring the sounds of protest from Capp and Clarke.

"Maybe we don't want to go to Molly's this time," Shay remained in the conversation with Otis.

"Hey, what's wrong with Molly's?!" Hermann's voice questioned, sounding genuinely hurt.

"Nothing's wrong with Molly's, we just might want to go somewhere else. Right Ria?" Ria turned back around to look at Shay, unsure of what was just said. "Just say yes," Shay rolled her eyes.

"Yes," Ria laughed. She turned back to Kelly who seemed to be in a daze as he was watching her. "You okay?" She questioned, her head turning to the side slightly. He smiled lightly, looking at her in a way he'd never really done before. His smile was small but lopsided and his eyes appeared slightly dazed. She realised he was thinking about something and she worried about what that was.

"Yeah, I'm good," he murmured as he reached forward and cupped her face in his hand. He tried to hide what he was truly feeling in that moment. He'd been so proud of her that day, saving the woman and facing a couple of her own fears at the same time and yet, he couldn't shake off their conversation from the other night. It had made him angry and sad but at the same time, it had made him proud then too. Because she might come off as a shy, easily embarrassed and anxious woman but in reality, she was a fighter; a survivor.

" _There's something we should talk about...my scars included." To say that didn't peak his attention would be a lie but he still didn't want her to feel like she had to tell him._

" _Baby, you don't have to-"_

" _I know," she cut him off; turning so her chin was resting on his chest and her eyes were locked with his own. "But I want to." He nodded, brushing a piece of hair from her face. She moved her head again, placing it back to lying on his chest. "I moved here to...get away from things. I worked in a small firehouse and had a relationship with one of the firemen there," she lightly danced her fingers across his chest; her way of distracting herself from what she saying. "We were together a while, it was good...to begin with. Then, I don't know, the job got in the way?" She didn't really know the truth herself anymore. "We argued a lot, he got angry over the fact I wouldn't move in with him and I just kept bottling everything up. I had no friends or family, the house being full of men only, so then I'd really yell at him; I have quite the temper y'know," she lightly joked. His chest reverberated with a laugh as he mumbled a 'duly noted' to her. "One day it got really bad, he had a bad shift, I had a bad shift and it just went..." She paused, taking a deep breath. "He hit me," she felt Kelly stiffen underneath her but he remained quiet. "It happened so quick that we both were so shocked. He left straight after and on next shift, he ignored me, I never even got a sorry from him." Ria continued on, explaining that a few months past and they had nothing to do with each other and that she was finally moving forward. "I had a date with this guy I met at the store and we went to the local bar. It was going well until Dale showed up with some other guys. He spent the night staring and I could see him knocking back drink after drink. When I left...alone I might add, he followed me out..." She sighed, moving to lie on her back, her eyes stuck on the ceiling._

" _You don't have to continue..." She smiled, her eyes still glued to the light above the bed._

" _It's okay," she paused a moment and Kelly laced his fingers with her own. He gently squeezed. "He yelled at me as I waited for a cab. I told him me dating had nothing to do with him anymore, that we weren't together. He looked so mad, his arms swinging around with all he was yelling, I thought I'd be on the receiving end of a punch again." She gulped and he realised tears were in her eyes. "I got home and started getting ready for bed when there was a knock on the door. I stupidly answered it and he pushed his way in, screaming and yelling...smashing things, he was terrifying; I'd never seen anything like it. And suddenly...he had one of my kitchen knives in his hand. I didn't know what was happening. He'd never had a temper when were together, unless he was just that good at hiding it. He stared at me for a second, his eyes unrecognisable. And he came at me."_

 _Kelly squeezed her hand tighter as tears rolled down her cheeks. His own anger rushed through him, who could do that to a person? To her...?_

" _We fought but I wasn't quite strong enough, it could have been worse if he was sober...I don't remember much else, except the searing pain as he dragged the knife over my side, twice. After that he ran again, leaving me bleeding on my apartment floor." She turned to look at him, a fake smile covering her face. "Pretty dramatic and twisted right? Bet you're pleased you chose me..."_

 **Answers at last! Reviews are more than welcome.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Filler chapter. Not overly pleased with this but I just wanted to get something out for you all. Thanks to all those that have reviewed!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own Ria and the storyline.**

 **Chapter 4: Moving Forwards**

"I can't believe you're doing this," Shay said as Ria pushed the glass door open, the bells chimed as Ria laughed.

"It's no big deal," she replied, heading over to the receptionist.

"You should stop her," Shay turned to Kelly as he took a seat on a black leather sofa. She sat next to him, watching Ria talking animatedly with the woman at the reception desk.

"And why would I do that?" He asked laughing at Shay's 'are you serious' look.

"Because she's permanently marking her body." Shay rolled her eyes.

"Shay, it's not my first tattoo," Ria sat down next to Kelly, her hand resting on his thigh. "I have another four." Kelly wrapped his right arm around Ria's shoulders, drawing her closer to his leather jacket covered chest. He laughed at Shay's incredulous look.

"What? You didn't know?" He chuckled again as Shay shook her head, her eyes open wide.

"I mean, I know about the one on her wrist and the back of her neck but I thought the insanity ended there!" Ria rolled her eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me; I just don't understand why you would _permanently_ mark your body!"

"So you've said," Ria slumped back against Kelly. Her knees began jostling as her nerves kicked in. She might have had four tattoos already but she always got extremely nervous with each one and no matter how often Shay was suggesting she was rushing into her tattoo decision, she knew that wasn't the case. All four of her tattoos meant something personally to her and she thought long and hard over each one.

Shay glanced around the room, admiring all the drawings of potential tattoo ideas. "So...where are your others?"

"Down my side," Ria mentioned, her legs continuing with their jostling.

"And the other...?" Shay's eyebrows rose as a blush covered Ria's face. "Seriously...where is it?" She leant forward as if in a vain attempt the tattoo would suddenly jump out at her. Kelly laughed as Ria looked anywhere but at Shay, the red of her face deepening. "Oh my god, where is it?! Kelly?!"

"Let's just say, that tattoo is for Ria's eyes only...well, and mine...and a doctor," he winked as Shay let out a bellowing laugh. Ria playfully nudged him the ribs. "I can describe exactly what it is and where if you want?" She nudged him again as Shay continued laughing.

"She's never going to let me live that down," Ria mumbled, wriggling out of Kelly's grasp and standing up; her nerves more than set in now. "I'm not sure I want you to come in there with me now."

Shay jumped from her seat. "Oh can I please?! I want to see how it's done, and you know I'm not going to pass out." Ria nodded.

"Okay...Kelly, why don't you go? We'll meet you at Molly's after." It was Kelly that raised an eyebrow this time.

"So this is your excuse to get rid of me?" He guffawed as he stood, placing a kiss on her forehead. "You could've just said you didn't want me here, instead of trying to make excuses all day."

Shrugging she kissed him gently. "You were so adamant. But I'll see you later okay? It's my turn." She nodded towards where a young, tattooed man had come through the lockable door.

"Okay, I'll see you later."

Xxx

"Where's Ria and Shay?" It seemed all of firehouse 51 were in attendance at Molly's that evening. Kelly slurped from his beer before turning to Casey.

"Getting a tattoo." He smirked at the obviously surprised face Casey was pulling. "What?"

"They're getting tattoos? I can kind of imagine Shay having one but Ria...man, she's this...she just seems so not the type." Kelly laughed, taking another sip of his beer.

"Shay's dead against tattoos, Ria's getting her fifth. And she won't be happy that you accused her of that," Casey held up his hands in surrender.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Man it's cool, I'm only joking." Casey frowned before shaking his head. "But yeah, they'll be here soon." Kelly looked toward Otis who was serving at the bar; he shook his bar bottle in his direction indicating for another one.

"So you and Ria are getting pretty serious huh?" Kelly laughed at Casey's tone of voice; he was clearly suggesting the possibility of Kelly and Ria's near future. He thanked Otis as he passed him and Casey another beer each.

Kelly couldn't deny how serious he was getting with Ria. They were in a good place before she told him about her past but since then things were even better. It was as if they were each other's missing puzzle pieces; he was helping her rebuild her life and she was helping him through things he didn't even realise he needed help with. He couldn't really remember what it was like without her and they had only been together for five months. He was very much in love and he might have said that too many a woman, but he'd never really felt it in the way he did with Ria.

"What are you getting at Casey?" he asked, a little smirk playing on his lips.

"You gonna ask her to move in?" Gabi had now joined the pair, leaning over the bar as she waited for Kelly to answer Casey's question.

Kelly paused as he mulled over the question, taking a large gulp of his beer; using the time to think over how to answer. Did he want to move in with Ria? Were they at that stage yet? Well...she practically lived with him already really. She was always at his or he was at hers; maybe they should make it official.

"I don't know man," he frowned to himself, the questions still swirling. What if he was ready for that, but she wasn't? Did she really want to settle down with the first guy she dated when she arrived in the city? "Maybe I'll talk to her about it." He shrugged trying to think of a way to change the subject.

"Girls like to be asked," Casey continued. Gabi frowned this time, turning to Kelly.

"Don't listen to him," she ignored Casey's attempt at interrupting. "Girls like to be asked sure, but at the same time they like to discuss these things. You don't want to ask her to move in when she actually wants to stay in the place she lives. It's different for you guys; you've got Shay to think about."

Kelly nodded drinking the last of his beer before nodding his head in the direction of the bathroom. Casey's question put his back up a bit. If Matt was thinking about the next step in his relationship, did that mean his girlfriend was too? Was Ria expecting the question? Anticipating when it may or may not happen? Then another thought hit him.

Since when did Kelly Severide start analysing over his relationships?

What had Ria done to him?

Heading back towards the bar he saw that Shay and Ria had finally arrived. He paused as he watched Ria laughing with the men and women he called family. Her face was vibrant with life; green eyes glistening, rosy cheeks glowing and her burgundy coloured lips spread wide into a smile. Seeing her like this made his blood boil at the thought of what her ex boyfriend had done to her. Why anyone would wish to hurt her he would never know. She was loving and sweet, her naivety about certain things just added to the mystery that surrounded her. He'd never felt this way about a woman before; no one seemed to come remotely close.

Seriously, what the hell had she done to him?

"Hey," she greeted her lips catching his in a quick kiss. She wiped any remaining lipstick off his lips as she smiled at him.

"How'd it go?" he questioned taking a seat on the stool by the bar. She nodded obviously pleased and lifted her tank top up, revealing a folded tissue strapped to her left hip. She peeled away the tissue, wincing as she did so.

"Hurt like hell," she said as she moved her hands back so he could look at the black design. He grimaced slightly at the bumpy red and bloody skin around her new 'ink'.

"Looks sore," he murmured, a smile now replacing his grimace. "But it's good," he looked back up at her face that was beaming with pride. "And rather sexy." She giggled at him as he leant forward to kiss her.

"Thank you," she mumbled as she placed the bloodied tissue back against her skin. Kelly passed her a beer.

"Wanna grab some food later?" He questioned, the two of them falling into their own little bubble. She shook her head. "You gonna come home with me tonight?" He ignored the weird nervousness in his voice. Why was he nervous? What did he have to be nervous about? She always stayed at his after a visit to Molly's.

"Erm yeah, but I might head out a little earlier, I want a bath and an early night." He smiled, enjoying the fact that she felt like his home was her home too. Perhaps he should talk to her about moving in together.

A loud laugh caused the two to turn their attention back to the group; Shay was howling with laughter over something Cruz and Otis had said and it made Kelly smile. "I wonder what was so funny," Ria mumbled. He didn't care what was said; he just enjoyed seeing Shay so happy; she was truly the best friend he could have asked for.

Then it hit him.

Gabi had mentioned it earlier but it wasn't until Shay was around that he finally paid attention to it. 'You've got Shay to think about.' Was he ready to leave Shay and move in with Ria? Or would Ria be happy to move in with Shay?

"What's on your mind?" Ria's hand was gently pressed against his stubbly cheek knocking him out of his reverie. He shook his head to answer no. "Okay," she sounded unsure. "I'm going to head home, are you coming or shall I meet you there later?"

"I'll come with you." He stood up and slipped on his leather jacket. "Shay, we'll see you at home." Shay nodded and waved as the two walked by.

"Damn he really is whipped."

Xxx

Ria stepped out of the bathroom that was off of Kelly's bedroom and eyed him curiously; he was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling completely oblivious to the fact his girlfriend was only clad in her underwear.

How un-Kelly like. She mused. She walked over to his chest of drawers and hunted through, pulling out one of his old CFD t-shirts. Walking over to the bed she pulled the shirt over her head and crawled next to Kelly. Sitting on her knees she watched him a moment.

"Okay seriously, what's wrong?" Her eyebrows rose as he finally tilted his head towards her. "You've been weird since we left the bar." She shifted so she was sitting cross legged in front of him.

Sighing, he placed his hands underneath his head. "Are you happy?" He inwardly scolded himself for how ridiculous that question was; her face indicated her confusion. "I mean with this, staying here?" He sat up, leaning against the wooden headboard.

"Where else would I stay?" She shrugged. "Did you want me to stay at my place tonight? I don't mind..." She frowned.

Why couldn't he just ask her to move in? Since when was Kelly Severide nervous around women?

"No, of course I want you here." She leaned closer to him, signifying him to carry on. "I just..." He rolled his eyes at himself. _Just bite the bullet Severide._ "Did you want to move in?" A small smile started covering her face. "Or did you want me to move in at yours? Or we could look for our own place...?" She laughed at his nervousness.

"You've been all weird because of that?" She laughed again as he playfully nudged her legs with his own. "What about Shay?"

"What about her?"

"Well we need to include her in our decision," this time his eyebrows rose questioningly. "She can't live on her own...and I know for a fact you don't want to leave her on her own."

"That's not true..."

"You're a terrible liar when it comes to her." She laughed again, moving to lie next to him. "We should live here...with Shay."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. I want to live with you Kelly," he leant closer to her. "And I don't want to split up 'Shayveride,'" she air quoted. He laughed.

"Shayveride?"

"Yep," she laughed. "So it's settled, I'm moving in here with you guys." He grinned at her, pulling her close and kissing her. "I can't believe you were nervous about asking me that."

"I don't know what you've done to me, but I like it." He smirked as he pushed her backwards slightly to lean over her. "Actually, I love it." She bit her lip as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you." He mumbled as he leant down and attached his lips to her own.

"I love you too." She shivered as his hands slipped up her t-shirt and rested just above her new tattoo.

"I forgot to ask," he said as pulled away from kissing her. She nodded, her eyes still closed in bliss. "Why the love heart?" She opened her eyes and blushed lightly as he asked about her tattoo.

"It's signifies the new start to my life," her eyes were glued to his. "A new city I've fallen in love with and..." She blushed deeper, her hand moving to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. "And the guy I've fallen in love with." His green blue eyes darkened with her words and he leaned down to kiss her again, this time with more fervour.

"I'm so in love with you," he mumbled, as she pulled him as close as humanly possible. "Seriously, what the hell have you done to me?"

 **More of a filler chapter. But an update at the least! R &R**


	5. Chapter 5

**An update! Thanks once again to all those that have favourite/followed this. But can we please also review? Even just one word would do lol.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Chicago Fire**

 **Chapter 5: What Could Be**

 _The warm skin was soft under his calloused touch. Her body shivered as his hands slid over her hips and up to her slim waist. A guttural moan sounded from his throat as she lightly bit the lips that were kissing her._

" _Ria," his voice was husky as he twisted to lie on his back, pulling her on top of him. Her hair fanned to the side as she began kissing and biting his neck, the sensation causing his hands to tighten on her hips._

" _Kelly," she bit him harder than anticipated. A swear word escaped his lips as a wail sounded from the woman on top of him. He pulled back and looked at her confused; her head pressed tight in the nape of his neck._

" _Ria?" She gripped her thighs tighter around his waist as she quivered in what appeared to be pain rather than pleasure. "Ria?" He tried again, she shook her head._

 _He frowned when he suddenly realised his hand was wet. Pulling it away from her hip, sheer panic flooded him when he saw that it was covered in blood. Her blood. His eyes darted to her hip to see that her two scars were no longer white but bright red; blood was pouring from them both, as if they were fresh wounds. "Kelly," she cried pushing herself off him and rolling onto the floor. Her face was paler than he'd ever seen it as she crawled away from the bed, her eyes wide with...fear. Fear? Why was she afraid of him?_

 _He moved to the edge of the bed only to freeze in shock as she squirmed further away, her eyes begging him to leave her alone. "Ria...?"_

" _Why? Why would you hurt me?" His breathing increased. Did she really think he meant to do it? "You're just like him!" Her voice was shrill as the tears cascaded down her cheeks._

" _Ria..." he tried to crawl over to her but she jumped up, backed against his bedroom door._

" _Stay back!" she screamed. He murmured her name again, completely confused by the entire situation. She slipped down into a ball by the door. Her knees brought tight to her chest. "Stay back," she whined again. "Please put the knife down." Her bottom lip shook as she stared at his hand._

 _His eyes glanced down at his own hand, seeing a sharp kitchen knife laden with her blood. The knife dropped from his hand and landed on the ground with a loud clang. "Ria..."_

Kelly jolted awake, sweat pouring down his back. His blue eyes glanced down at the sleeping form next to him. _Good._ He thought, satisfied he hadn't woken her. He brought his knees up, placing his forearms on them. Placing his head in his hands, he rubbed his temples before turning to look at his girlfriend again. Taking a deep breath, he reached a quivering hand forward and pulled the blanket down, revealing not only her naked form but the two white scars on her hip. He pulled his hand away quickly and rubbed his eyes. He couldn't shake the horrific dream he had just had. All he could see in his head was the picture of her bleeding and terrified of him.

Was this some sort of foreshadowing thing? Did this dream mean he would hurt her? Eventually? 

Sighing he realised that maybe it was; he would. Not that he would ever do so physically, but at some point or another he would hurt her emotionally. He'd do something that he always seemed to do; whether it be harmless flirting with another woman or even sleeping with someone else. It was something he had always done since his fiancée Renee cheated on him. His heart had been broken when he was completely and insanely in love with someone and since then, he had pushed people away; by hurting them.

So he would do it to Ria at some point. It was inevitable. And he hated himself for it but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

"You okay?" He froze as her bare form wrapped around him from behind. He hadn't even heard her wake up, let alone move to her current position. His head turned to the side to look at her and he smiled half heartedly. He just looked at her for a few moments, taking her in; even with her eyes red and puffy with sleep deprivation and her hair an unruly mess atop her head, she was stunningly beautiful to him. He wondered daily how he became so lucky to have her in his life. Her brow furrowed as she looked at him questioningly. He knew he must look strange to her, he'd never woken from a nightmare before nor had he ever just looked at her in the way he was right then. His calloused palm reached toward her smooth cheek and he watched her eyes close blissfully at the feel of his hand on her skin.

She loved him, he knew that, but it was in that exact second he realised just how much she really did. Leaning towards her, his lips met hers in a heated kiss and he pushed her backwards so he was carefully lying on top of her. Both of his hands reached for her own and their fingers interlaced at either side of her head. He pulled back from kissing her and looked at her again.

"I love you," his voice cracked slightly. "I'm never going to hurt you."

Xxx

Her green eyes watched him curiously from the other side of the break room; he was laughing as he played cards with the other men in squad. He'd been acting different the last few days, ever since he had woken up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. He had been more attentive to her, touching her whenever it was possible, kissing any part of her skin he could reach when they were sat or stood together and even mumbling 'I love you' into her ear as often as every hour.

She had enjoyed it the first couple of days or so but now, it was beginning to worry her. It was just so...un-Kelly like.

"Has Kelly spoken to you?" Ria spun in her chair after Kelly caught her staring and winked at her. Shay frowned as she shovelled a spoonful of cereal into her mouth.

"About?" Shay questioned. Ria shrugged, her fingertips tapping on the table. "Spill." Shay said just as she took another bite of her breakfast. Ria placed her hands by the side of her head and scowled as her eyes focused anywhere but at her friend.

"He's driving me insane." Her eyes looked back at Shay as her hands slammed on the wooden table. She mimed a sorry to the alarmed looks of the others on the table. Shay laughed.

"Why? What's he doing?" Shay glanced behind Ria to look at Kelly who was still just playing cards with the guys. "He's only playing cards..."

Ria sighed. "Not now, I mean generally." Shay raised a quizzical brow urging Ria to continue. "He's so...clingy." Ria noticed that Shay's face fell blank, clearly confused as to how the least clingy person she had ever met had suddenly completed a full one eighty. "Don't get me wrong, for like a day or two I thought it was nice, considering how he usually is. But now...I could kill him." Shay chuckled, her shoulders bouncing. "I'm not kidding. It took him all of twelve hours to have a complete personality change. I can't do anything without him following or questioning me and he's always touching and kissing me. I miss my old Kelly; the Kelly who could go an entire shift without having an actual conversation with me."

"I don't believe that," Shay pushed her breakfast bowl away from her.

"If I was to leave the room right now, I bet you he'd ask where I was going."

Shay shook her head. "I doubt that."

"Then I'll prove it. Come on." Ria challenged standing up. Shay followed suit and the two of them began making their way towards the door to the break room.

"Where are you going?" Ria froze at the voice and gave Shay an 'I told you so' look. Shay guffawed at the fact Kelly was asking such a question.

"We got our periods." Shay replied to him as she pulled Ria towards the cloak room. "What have you done to him?!" She asked when they were out of ear shot.

"I have no idea, he literally just changed overnight. Please talk to him!" Ria sat down on the bench and pleaded with her partner. "I'm not kidding; I'm going to kill him." Shay too, took a seat on the wooden bench, pondering what might have come over her best friend.

"Okay, I'll talk to him. But I'm not promising anything."

Xxx

"So uh, Shay told me to take you here." Kelly looked bemusedly at Casey who was awkwardly swigging from his beer bottle.

"She told you to take me to Molly's?" Kelly smirked behind the lip of his beer bottle.

Casey shrugged sheepishly. "Okay, she asked me to take you for a beer to ask you what's going on." Kelly's eyebrow rose suspiciously. "About you and Ria." Kelly's mouth formed a small 'o' as he nodded his head. "So?"

Kelly played with the glass bottle in his hand, biding his time to gather his thoughts. Should he tell Casey what had been going on? Well Ria had clearly confided in Shay so maybe he should confide in his friend.

"I had this dream..."

Casey listened intently without interrupting once as Kelly spoke of how he'd been feeling and acting since his dream a few days previous. Kelly found himself getting increasingly embarrassed as he told his story, suddenly realising just how absurd he'd been acting towards his girlfriend. No wonder she had talked to Shay about him.

"You know what I got from all of that." Casey commented as he ordered to whiskeys from Otis. Kelly nodded at him to continue. "That you love this girl right?" Kelly nodded again. "And this isn't the lustful 'love' you felt with Royce, or the...settling, for want of a better word, with Whaley. Deep down, you were looking for a way out with them, don't look at me like that you know it's true," Kelly rolled his eyes, sipping from his whiskey. "Ria's different, with her you genuinely see a future, don't pretend that's not true, and with any of your other serious girlfriends, you never saw that and you were even engaged to one of them. Do you not remember how you felt after you found out Renee had cheated?"

"Pissed," Kelly murmured.

"Well yeah, but you were relieved too." Kelly nodded slightly. "You've asked Ria to move in, you never asked any other girl to do that, they've just kinda...merged, you're so serious with her that you're literally terrified of any little thing you might do wrong. So you're over acting, hoping she doesn't realise you're actually a bad boyfriend," Casey joked as Kelly narrowed his eyes at him. "The thing is, you're going to do things wrong, you're going to upset her and she'll do the same to you. That's a relationship. Stop fearing it. Stop overanalysing everything, she loves you, you love her, take each day as it comes. Don't over think some stupid dream. Just move on, and act normal again."

Kelly nodded. Casey was right; he was being overly stupid over something so trivial. Seriously, what the hell had Ria done to him?

"I'm going to have to marry her aren't I?" He laughed. Casey chuckled as he nodded his head.

"At some point yeah. Congratulations." The two clinked their now empty whiskey glasses before ordering another two. "Can I call Shay now? The two of them have been waiting to come down here all evening."

Xxx

"So he's normal again?" Shay asked as she indicated a left, slowing down slightly as she waited for a car to move out of the way.

"Yeah, I still can't believe you got Casey to talk to him though." Ria laughed as she leant forward to get a clearer look out of the front window. "Wow, looks like a big one."

The members of firehouse 51 had barely been on shift ten minutes before they got called to a structure fire. Shay pulled the ambulance to a stop as they reached the burning building. A group of people had already formed opposite, watching in awe.

"Has anyone come out of there?" Ria questioned towards the group just as truck and squad pulled up. A chorus of no's and shrugs followed. "Casey! They say no one's exited the building." Casey nodded as he shouted orders at his men.

"Casey! What do we have?" Chief Boden asked as he climbed from his car.

"Hermann and Dawson are venting the back Chief." He indicated to the group of people on the sidewalk. "They say no one has come out."

"Okay, Severide! Start a search party on the first floor, Casey, you and your men focus on the ground floor. Work your way up." The firemen spread out and began entering the burning building.

" _Back's vented Chief."_ Hermann's voice sounded through the radio. Boden took a step back as he watched the fire growing, his years of experience telling him all he needed to know within a few seconds.

"Casey, Severide, the smoke's turning black, you've got two minutes!" Boden spoke clearly through the radio, nodding to himself when his men replied an 'okay'.

" _Fourth floor clear, going to fifth."_ Severide's voice murmured through the radio.

" _Third floor clear chief, we're coming out."_ Casey spoke this time.

Chief Boden continued eyeing the burning building in front of him, the smoke was coming out even blacker now. "Okay I'm calling it. Severide, Capp, out now."

" _Got it Chief."_ Capp replied.

Silence overcame the radios as everyone waited for Capp and Severide to exit the building. A few seconds later Capp came out coughing as he turned back to inside.

"Capp! Where's Severide?!" Chief Boden's voice boomed.

"He was right behind me Chief."

"Severide, report!" Boden shouted down the radio. "Severide, report!"

" _Chief, I'm stuck in the front bedroom, fourth floor,"_ Severide's voice cracked. _"I heard banging on the way down; there was a kid in the closet."_

"Cruz get the aerial up to that window now!"

" _Chief it's getting pretty bad in here!"_

Casey began climbing the aerial as Cruz aimed it to its position. Severide smashed the window just as the aerial reached its position. "Here take her," Severide passed a girl of about 10 to Casey.

"Hermann, get up there," Chief called as Hermann raced into position.

"It's going to go!" Severide yelled out as he turned to the bulging bedroom door opposite the window.

Ria watched with mouth agape as the scene unfolded around her. Her heart thumped in her chest as a loud bang rang out of the building, followed by a blazing fire ball.

Kelly was in there.

He didn't get out in time.

Did he?

 **Dun dun dun. Review? Please? (:**


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